The present invention generally relates to an automatic locking mechanism for securing a lid to a container.
Hazardous waste, such as volatile organic compounds and chemicals, is commonly stored in containers such as thirty or fifty-five gallon drums. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has imposed stringent regulations regarding spill protection for hazardous waste containers. More particularly, hazardous waste contained within storage containers must be locked when not depositing the hazardous waste in order to prevent the accidental escape of hazardous material.
There are several methods of securing the container lid to the container body. One way to seal the container is by using a bolt ring that bolts the lid to the container. Other methods of securing a lid to the container body include using a screw-on lid and a dual-bung drums with both bungs securely in place. However, it is often difficult to determine using these methods whether a secure seal was obtained between the lid and the body. Further, it can be time-consuming to ensure that a proper seal was created between the lid and the body using these methods.
Accordingly, there is a need for an automatic locking mechanism that fits on a container lid to allow for the “auto-locking” and sealing of the container lid to the container body upon closing in order to facilitate the compliance with the EPA regulations as well as to reduce the amount of human error associated with keeping a container securely locked.
There is an additional need for a quick and simple method to easily determine whether the container lid is open or locked.